Page 47 of Let Her Hide

"You're too late," Luke said with a smirk, his voice laced with malice. "Some of them are already inside the wooden vestibule I built. Soon, they'll enter the storage container, waking my precious sister up..."

His sister? Fiona frowned. That didn't make any sense.

But then she thought about what the receptionists had told her. Apparently, Rebecca's family had "abandoned" her brother when they were young. And apparently, Luke had been "adopted" by Greta Stoll in return.

Did Luke believe he was Rebecca's long-lost brother?

"Luke," Fiona called out, her voice steady despite the fear churning inside her. "Think about what you're doing. This won't end well for you. She's... she's your sister, isn't she? Why would you want to hurt your family?"

For a brief moment, Luke's eyes flickered towards her, and she saw a glimmer of humanity buried deep within the madness. But then it was gone, replaced once more by the feral rage that consumed him.

"Family," he spat. "What a joke. She left me. They all did. That's what people do--they leave!"

His voice rose with each word, his eyes blazing with a fury that seemed to consume him. Fiona took a step forward, her hand held out in a gesture of peace.

"But think about it," she said calmly, trying to reason with him. "What will it accomplish? You'll hurt Rebecca, but then what? You'll be alone, with no one left to care about you."

Luke shook his head, the movement quick and jerky. For a moment, he looked like a trapped animal, his body taut and ready to spring.

"It doesn't matter," he said finally, his voice low and menacing. "You don't understand. No one understands. Do you think this is about love, or family, or any of that? It's not. It's about power. Control. And I have that now."

He gestured around him at the storage containers and the insects buzzing inside them.

"Whoever controls the insects controls the world," he said, his eyes shining with a mad conviction. "And they all laughed at me, said I was crazy, said I didn't know what I was doing. But I showed them. I showed them all."

Fiona felt a chill run through her. This was a level of delusion that she'd never encountered before. How could anyone think this way?

His voice grew louder, and Fiona could see the veins in his neck bulging.

"I was alone, but I had my insects. They never left me. They were always there for me."

Luke's grip tightened on the box of insects, and Fiona could see the creatures starting to climb out of it, their wings fluttering as more of them prepared to enter the wooden vestibule. Fiona could see them now--she could make out the shape of their wings.

Poisonous hornets.

Fiona’s mind raced, trying to think of a way to calm Luke down. “Luke, I know how you feel!” she blurted, and Luke’s gaze hardened. “I—I’m an entomologist. I know what it’s like to have insects be your only friends. I was lonely too, but then I learned to let people in! It’s not too late for you!”

Luke glowered at her. “You don’t know anything about what it’s like to be me. Shut up with that crap.”

It wasn’t working. He was about to release the hornets.

"Jake," she whispered urgently. "We have to do something now."

"That's enough, Luke!" Jake shouted. "Drop the box and step away from the container!"

Luke's grip tightened on the box, his eyes wild and defiant. Fiona's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Luke make his decision. In one swift motion, he hurled the box at the opening of the container. It opened against the edge with an awful sound, releasing a dark cloud of buzzing malice into the air. Some of the bugs flew into the box, and others were released into the air.

From within the container, she heard a woman's frantic scream – Rebecca!

"Jake, we have to help her!" Fiona urged, her eyes flicking between the container and her partner.

"Stay back," Jake warned, his gaze locked onto Luke, who stood in the cloud of dispersing bugs, smiling menacingly. "I'll take care of him."

Fiona hesitated for a moment. But as another agonized scream pierced the air, Fiona knew she couldn't stand idly by any longer.

"Be careful," she whispered, and then she was gone – racing towards the container as fast as her legs would carry her.

Behind her, she heard the sound of bodies colliding, followed by a guttural grunt of pain. Glancing back, she saw that Jake had tackled Luke to the ground, their limbs entwined as they grappled for dominance. She knew that she should be there, helping her partner gain control over their suspect, but the screams coming from the container filled her with a singular purpose: she had to save Rebecca, whatever the cost.

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